OUR VIEW: The departure of Alabama's environmental chief is not terrible news, assuming a state board does a good job finding a replacement

Trey Glenn's abrupt departure as head of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management is one of those mixed-feelings moments.

Glenn didn't do much to generate confidence during his four years at ADEM.

Trey GlennAlthough he was ultimately cleared of criminal wrongdoing, his conduct while he was seeking the environmental job became the subject of an ethics investigation. Once on the job, he accepted a big baseball outing from Alabama Power Co., which his agency is supposed to regulate. And don't even get us started on the $2.4 million airplane the agency probably didn't need and certainly couldn't afford, but Glenn just couldn't live without.

So Glenn's resignation Friday -- " to expand my role in the areas of environmental and natural resources policy" -- didn't unleash a torrent of tears among many who closely follow ADEM's business.

Except, maybe, once they stopped to think what must happen next. As in, the Environmental Management Commission, which oversees ADEM, will hire a new director.

Although some faces have changed, this commission includes at least a few of the same members from the time when Glenn was hired. And these were some of the same people who just last year graded Glenn's performance and found it "significantly" exceeded expectations. As we wrote at the time, the only conclusion to draw from the assessment was that the commission needed to raise its expectations.

Let's hope that idea will guide the search process for a new director, which is already under way.

A notice on ADEM's Web site sets a Jan. 8 deadline for applications, which is pretty quick turnaround considering the major holidays between now and then. Commission Chairwoman Anita Archie said she hopes a selection can be made by the board's scheduled Feb. 19 meeting.

That's an ambitious schedule and one that must accommodate a thorough, open search process. Fortunately, the commission's announcement makes it clear from the outset that all applications will be public and that finalists will be interviewed in public as well. From that standpoint, the commission is getting it exactly right.

Let's hope it also sets a high bar for candidates. The next director of ADEM needs to be someone who treats polluting businesses fairly but takes environmental laws seriously. The next director needs to be able run a complex agency, with 600 employees and a $70 million annual operating budget. And the next director needs to understand his most important job of all is to be a careful steward of the public's trust.

It's a tall order. But the commission will save itself -- and taxpayers -- much trouble by getting this right from the start.